Chapter Text
“Fine! We’re done!” I say as I storm out of the kitchen.
I go upstairs to the small bedroom that I share with my now-ex-boyfriend, Devon. I pull my suitcase out from under the bed and start throwing my stuff inside. Shirts, pants, Star Wars action figures, toiletries, and everything else that is mine; I grab an extra backpack to put the overflow in. When I finish packing, I walk out of the New York studio apartment and hail a taxi.
“Where to?” the driver asks in a thick French accent.
“La Guardia, please,” I say.
I don't know where I’m going, but I know that I can’t be in New York right now.
When the driver pulls up to the airport, I thank him and hand him a $20 bill. I walk into the airport and get in line for the ticket counter, trying to hold myself together until I get to my gate.
As I step up to the counter, I hope that there is a flight leaving within the hour that can take me far, far away from this gods forsaken city.
“Hi there, how may I help you today?” the woman at the ticket counter asks with a smile.
“Hi, can I get a ticket to anywhere that isn’t within three states of here? Preferably leaving sometime in the next hour,” I ask.
“Well you sure are running from something sweetheart; I have a flight to Charleston, West Virginia that leaves in 45 minutes,” says the woman as her short brown curls bounce.
“I’ll take it,” I say, “How much do I owe you?”
“Are you checking that suitcase?” she asks me.
“Oh, right. Yeah I am.”
“Ok, one ticket to Charleston and one checked bag…that comes out to $173.53.”
I pay her and make my way to security.
After I make it through security and finally get to my gate, I let myself sit down and process the events of the last hour and a half.
I was just sitting there on the couch eating some chicken nuggets when Devon walked in yelling at me, “How the fuck could you be this irresponsible? Again?”
“Hey, please don’t yell at me. Whatever I did, I didn’t do it to intentionally make you mad. Could you please tell me what happened that made you this mad?” I asked calmly.
“How are you this oblivious? You left the oven on for the fourth time this week. And please don’t give me the,” he switches to a mocking tone, “‘Oh, I have ADHD, I can’t possibly be expected to uphold a basic responsibility’ excuse again.”
“It’s not an excuse, I have diagnosed ADHD,” I said bitterly, “Maybe if you would stop taking down my ‘turn off the oven’ sticker, I would remember it a bit easier.”
“It's ugly. Quite frankly, I don’t want to be in a relationship with you if you aren’t going to actually try.” he said with a sharpness in his voice that I didn’t recognize.
“Fine! We’re done.”
I pull myself out of the memory and reach into my pocket. I feel warm tears running down my face as I pull out the ring box that I had planned on giving to Devon at our anniversary dinner tonight. I shove it back into my pocket as the intercom turns on.
“Now boarding flight 8358 to Charleston.”
I got up, hoping that I got a good seat.
I sat down in my window seat, stashed my backpack, and fell asleep; exhausted from the adrenaline of the last two hours.
When I wake up, the plane is hurtling down the Charleston runway. I get off the plane, and follow the signs to baggage claim as I make my way through the unfamiliar airport. After retrieving my suitcase, I step outside of the airport and take a deep breath of the not-so-fresh air inside of the pickup tunnel. I hail a taxi, put my suitcase in the back, and sit down in the passenger seat. “Whatever the nearest hotel is please.”
“Of course.” Says the familiar voice in the driver’s seat.
I glance over and see none other than another ex of mine; one that I never got over.
“Nico?” I ask, half hoping I’m wrong about the driver’s identity.
He looks over, “Will?” he smashes his lips into mine, “I never got over you.”
“Me neither,” I say, reaching into my pocket and handing him the ring box.
He stops kissing me, just long enough to look at what I’m handing him, “Yes.”